Reserves - exclusive of Regular Army Reserve and Officers of the Officers Reserve Corps on active duty under the Thomason Act (Officers and Enlisted Men -- O.R.C. and E.R.C., and Nurses-Reserve Status)1

Other Websites

Stories

Sort

Robert "Bob" M Stangier *70 Combat Missions* 310thBG,381stBS/MTO

1944
—Italy

Bob was born in Unatilla, Oregon, in 1923, he completed Pendelton High School and one Year of College, he was still single. He entered the Service at Sheppard Field, Witchita Falls, Texas and joined on 12 April, 1943 directly into the AAC.

***

Bob trained as an aviation cadet in 1943 at Lubbock Texas pre-flight school and graduated from Texas Tech.

From Lubbock Bob was sent to Santa Anna California for 3 months for more flight schooling with a pay of $50 per month. The cadet's were not officers but were not enlisted men. Some enlisted soldiers did not know if they should solute and the Officers did not want to associate with them. The cadets did not know where he fit in the ranking order.

Tucson Arizona was the next stop for primary flight training for 3 months with a extra $ .75 an hour for hazardous time while flying a "Rayon" single engine low wing mono plane.

Bob finished his primary flight training and moved on to Lemoore California for his basic flight training in a BT 13A Vultee single engine trainer. The Vaultee was best known at the "Vaultee Vibrator" as it made enough racket to make one assume the nuts and bolts were all coming loose !

In June 1944 Bob was sent overseas to Naples Italy by ship as a twin-engine pilot but did not know if he would be flying a twin-engine fighter or bomber. The pay was the base salary of $150 plus $75 per month for hazardous duty. Bob was assigned to the 381st squadron, 310th bomb group, 57th bomb wing of the 12th Army Air Corp at Corsica, Italy.